Britax Snob

YinzerMama

New member
If anyone were to search and find this thread, I would hope they would also actually read the thread, as no one is claiming Britax to be safest or even best - simply nice for what it is. Comfy for the child. Easy to install. COW COVERS. :eek:

I also agree with Phineasmom that the prices are not as crazy outrageous as they used to be, comparatively. But you do need to be aware of what features you actually get for the money, and compare it to the features you find in other seats that may cost more or less.

Car seats are like handbags. You can buy a Coach purse and it will be very nice and well made and cost a lot of money, but it won't really DO more than a purse from Target. The purse from Target may even outshine it in other ways. People need to realize it is features that are different.

FWIW I correct everyone I know who is buying a seat and believes Britax is safest. Although I almost feel like I encounter as many people who are set on Chicco vs Graco as safest, since that is where you begin. For whatever reason people don't seem to even consider Britax buckets as much but I know people who think Chicco is safe and Graco is dangerous. Which makes me a tad touchy, having carted around 4 kids in Graco buckets.
 
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StillThankful

New member
I have to admit that I thought, before I owned a FR85, there was a lot of hype to the FR 85. I thought people were just embellishing their love for the seat and that there was some type of Britax clique to which only people who had $300 to plunk down on a seat could belong.


Well.......after getting a Wayfair clearance FR85 for $115, I'm actually in love:love::love: with it and no combo seat that I've owned can compare to it.:eek: It's just a great seat! It's a beast to install via lbp but it's still an awesome seat!

When I discovered this site in 2007, I definitely felt that there was some privileged, Britax Bubble Sorority that I was kept out of because all I had was an Evenflo Titan V. I just had to have a Britax--my mom ended up gifting us one (a Target clearance MA) and I did :love: IT.

They are easy to install and the classic MAs had such cute, plush covers back in the day.

There are other sororities which I will never join--Jujube, Britax stroller, BJCM stroller. I will stay an outsider on those ones:p

I personally love my graco stroller for DD2:p I have a Baby Jogger double stroller, a single BOB jogging stroller, and a single Mountain Buggy stroller that I got off CL, which are great too! :love:;)
 
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PunkyMonkey

New member
We are on our first Britax seat (blvd 70) got it in Nov and I :love: it! There are some things to get used to but it takes 45 seconds to install and man do I love me some zebra print stuff! :D DD always looks comfy, it's really the cadillac of convertible seats! I love our recaro pro ride too but not as much as I love the blvd!

Sent from my iPhone, please excuse autocorrects!
 

MommyShannon

New member
Lol, I just used the term snob b/c you read that a lot when if comes to the Britax debates. I avoided them for a long time BECAUSE I had read about the Britax Bubble and that they were overrated and expensive. Truth is, they make great seats that I now prefer in many instances. I wish I hadn't bought into the idea that they were all hype and gotten one sooner. Rebound control is something I want too so that significantly limits choices to ones in the same price range or more expensive. I understand it must be extremely frustrating for techs to have parents come to a check and say they bought a Britax b/c they were told it's the "safest" by a friend or store clerk when it's a bad fit for their child. That definitely is not what people need to be hearing or told. They aren't perfect for everyone, so they need to be researching features such as height/weight limits. All on all, I feel much better about somebody installing a RA55 on their own than some other seats. Until the Angle adjuster came out, there was very little option for somebody who wanted a seat to fit in a small space and have rebound control. The myth that they are safest needs to disappear but they are definitely good quality seats that have earned being recommended in the right instances. It is annoying that the convertibles are so nice to install and the FR on a bit of a pain, but for 20" and cushiness, it's worth it.
 

Phineasmama

New member
FWIW I did start out with a Graco bucket with baby #1, she then graduated to a RA40 not because I was told it was "safer" (I actually had no idea what the heck I was doing) but because I looked at it in the store and thought it was a nice seat and seemed plushy and easy to use. That was 2007.

Then I got 2 original Marathons on Target clearance :love: And I have owned a FR85 at one time as well.

But nowadays the only Britax seat I have left is one of the original MA. I love it a lot, but I use it as a backup seat. I have the blue All Star cover which I freaking love and when this expires in a year or two I might buy a RA50 just so I can keep using the dang cover :p

So I am by no means a Britax snob, I have actually paid a lot more for most of my other seats than I ever did for a Britax seat. Especially the RXT!
 

KelliBella

New member
I love my Britax too. I have owned MANY over the years. 2 old school MA's, BLV70, old school RA, FR and FR85. I have no doubt that all seats are safe no matter the brand, but I love the easy-peasy install, easy to adjust (non-twisty) straps, and cushy rides for the kids. I have flown with our MA's many times, mainly because I know that I can get a fantastic install in basically any car that was end of driving at our destination. That being said, I also love our Keyfits, CCO, and RN. :love:
 

Kac

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I didn't mean to start such an argument. I was pointing out a disclaimer for other members. I've worked with tons of parents who need donated seats or really struggle to afford a $50 seat. They come in apologizing for not having Britax and feel like they are failing their child.

Yes, there are Recaro, Diono, Graco, etc. snobs, but for whatever reason people feel like they are not good enough when they can't have Britax.

I've owned a FR80 and a MA70. They were excellent seats. I'm glad you have seats that work for you, but I just had to put a disclaimer to people reading.
 

YinzerMama

New member
FWIW I did start out with a Graco bucket with baby #1, she then graduated to a RA40 not because I was told it was "safer" (I actually had no idea what the heck I was doing) but because I looked at it in the store and thought it was a nice seat and seemed plushy and easy to use. That was 2007.

I bought a RA40 because I liked the gray wicker cover, circa 2004. :) Paid out the nose for that damn BRU exclusive but it looked so awesome with my son's eyes. Then paid less a year later for a Marathon, on line, which I should have bought in the first place, for longevity...

I actually posted a review on amazon about the roundabout and how it was nice and all but what' you're really paying for is that cute soft cover - admitting full well I was a sucker - and people attacked me saying NO it was the safest seat there was and you are not just paying for the cover you are paying for your child's safety. :rolleyes:

I was never convinced the roundabout was better than a non-britax seat at that time... but I did think the MA was better, because it was bigger. My son would have been in a booster by age 3 had we not gotten a MA. Now I still like my classic marathons but other car seat makers have caught up and in some cases passed up.
 

KelliBella

New member
I didn't mean to start such an argument. I was pointing out a disclaimer for other members. I've worked with tons of parents who need donated seats or really struggle to afford a $50 seat. They come in apologizing for not having Britax and feel like they are failing their child.

Yes, there are Recaro, Diono, Graco, etc. snobs, but for whatever reason people feel like they are not good enough when they can't have Britax.

I've owned a FR80 and a MA70. They were excellent seats. I'm glad you have seats that work for you, but I just had to put a disclaimer to people reading.

I know. :hug:
 

YinzerMama

New member
Yeah, I agree that the FR85 is pretty expensive. But I checked Amazon and they have it for about $210, the cheapest Nautilus is $137. That is a big difference but then again the FR85 is the tallest harnessed seat on the market, so if it gets you a year or yearS more of use, maybe it's worth it? I know it's worth it for the moms of kiddos on the autism spectrum or other special needs where they aren't booster ready yet.

I got my FR85s for 187 and it seemed totally worth it to me as I anticipated my girls outgrowing their MAs by age 4 as my son had, and I never liked having him in booster so young. He was OK when he was awake, but for comfort and sleeping... the harness seemed better. I'd say 5 1/2 or 6 is more my comfort level to booster. Of course, murphy's law, my girls are much more average in size and will probably fit in their MAs until 5 1/2. They still fit, we use one in DH's car, and one will be the baby's... but the girls have been in the FRs for a while. But the switch means I don't have to buy a car seat for the baby, and we still have a spare, so economically, it worked out (although I am sure it would have made even more financial sense to start the girls out in true fits and move them to boosters when outgrown - but then I wouldn't have cow)

I will say though that the presence of and price point of the FR85 adds another level to car seat snobbery which is the booster vs harness snobbery issue. I feel like harnessing has gone beyond safety to become a point of mompetition. I've said it before - when I first joined I was totally amazed at how OK people are here with boosters. And that's good. I feel like the emphasis here is on the child being developmentally ready for a booster, vs. seeing who can outharness all the other moms. At any rate the FR85 carries with it its own unique level of snobbery. Which is why I really really really wish Graco would add one more crotch strap slot to the Nauti to make it more competetive for true extended harnessing comfort. Whether it makes a huge difference safety wise or not, it would be nice to take THAT advantage away from the FR85 and level the field more. I'd love to know why Graco won't add it. The FR85 is a great comfy tall harnessed seat but I think the true limits of it are OTT for most kids. Which doesn't mean it's bad to use it to only some of its limits, but I think the crazy capabilities of it have lead to this feeling of "If this seat goes THIS far, this practice is clearly best." If that makes sense.

The absolute worst case I have seen of this was when a well known baby gear reviewer put her 8yo niece in a FR85 in harness mode, set too small for her, and put a picture up showing how angry the niece was and how much safer she was in her (the reviewer's) car verses her father's car. A bunch of women chimed in with how this was not true, a booster is safe for that age, and the seat wasn't even adjusted properly, but all such comments were deleted. I found it appalling how many moms were going to see those pics and believe it was the entire truth. I am sure Britax loved it, though. Just one of many things that causes me to put very little stock in what the famous baby gear reviewers have to say.
 
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carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Yeah, I agree that the FR85 is pretty expensive. But I checked Amazon and they have it for about $210, the cheapest Nautilus is $137. That is a big difference but then again the FR85 is the tallest harnessed seat on the market, so if it gets you a year or yearS more of use, maybe it's worth it? I know it's worth it for the moms of kiddos on the autism spectrum or other special needs where they aren't booster ready yet.

It's absolutely worth it for special-needs kids or super-big kids. A Nautilus will harness an average-sized kid to at least age 6, and that's generally adequate.
 

Chely7425

New member
We own 2 Britax seats at the moment, not because they are Britax but because they fit my kids and what we need them to do. We have a FR85 because with the 9 year life it will last all my kids, and T2 is a really tall kid and the Nauti (which I :love:) doesn't install well at all in the space I need it in my van. Then we have a BV70 for Favis because, well, he is tiny and the seat fits him extremely well. We tried a bunch of other seats for him and this one just works the best for him so it's what he has.
 

jenfrogmom

New member
Phineasmama said:
And I'm sick of people acting like Britax is some crazy expensive luxury brand of car seat. It may have been in the past but it's certainly not top of the line now.
You can get a RA50 for around $100, a RA55 for $150. I've seen plenty of clearance sales on the chaperone (online). Those prices are very comparable to Graco which may be viewed by some as a "step down" but has very nice and easy to install seats, good padding, cute covers. So what's below that? The Scenera- which is well, what it is. And then we have lovely Dorel seats which I don't think anyone on this board has an overwhelming love for right? What am I leaving out...evenflo?

In contrast what do we have that is similar or higher priced in many cases: Peg perego, Recaro, Cybex (no convertible though), Diono, Combi (the Coccoro is way more expensive than the RA and doesn't last as long!) Chicco, Maxi Cosi, Orbit Baby and then of course we have the astronomically expensive Clek.

So what gives? I think it's a prevailing, outdated attitude. Most everyone I know who didn't buy Britax, didn't buy it because they liked another seat better. Not because they couldn't afford it.

I 150% agree!
 

Phineasmama

New member
Is the Advocate worth a purchase? Any thoughts? We are coming from a Chaperone.

It just depends. If money isn't an issue then why not? I bought a Marathon 70 because I wanted that step up from the Roundabout 55 which is the no-rethread harness. But I didn't personally feel like it was necessary to spend the extra money on the advocate for the side impact cushions. They all have pretty deep side wings anyways.
 

YinzerMama

New member
Is the Advocate worth a purchase? Any thoughts? We are coming from a Chaperone.

My non-expert opinion is that the top-tier Britax seats are selling you extra peace of mind without compelling proof to justify the premium price. I am a-ok with the Marathon level of seats, the Boulevard may have some more user friendly features, not sure... but I personally wouldn't go top tier Britax.

Again, non-expert.

We have the regular FR85s... I think the SICT (sp?) ones are over the top, too much money, too wide, and don't come in cow. (Well, don't come in cow is fact, not opinion)

It actually kind of bugs me how Britax pushes these top tier seats as safer because to me that is like saying something else you sell is not as safe, even though it is still pretty pricey... kind of like, why would you sell a less safe seat at all if you care so much about safety? Not really sure how to put that. I think the lower tier seats are totally totally safe. I just feel like they're milking more money out of you at the higher price point.
 

YinzerMama

New member
There are other sororities which I will never join--Jujube, Britax stroller, BJCM stroller. I will stay an outsider on those ones:p

I personally love my graco stroller for DD2:p I have a BJ double stroller and a single jogging stroller that I got off CL, which are great too! :love:;)

I love my b-ready but I also have a Graco Quattro that is 8 1/2 years old and I will not part with it until we are done done done with strollers. There is SO MUCH I love about that stroller. I will probably sell the b-ready when baby no longer wants to face me.

To go back to my Britax Bubble idea - is it horrible of me that I envision a car seat with a protective plexiglass bubble so I don't have to listen to incessant chatter and bickering and radio requests, off, on, change the channel, in the car? :eek: They could totally hype it up as the bubble keeps flames from reaching the seat so no fire retardants needed in the seat, for those who worry about such things.

Just... peace...
 

msg221

Well-known member
I am by no means a Britax snob in the sense of thinking that they are far superior to other seats and telling people that (which, as a CPST, would be so wrong). Britax are not the only seats I have had or currently have. In my vehicle right this second, after finally achieving a successful three across, I don't even have a Britax in there right now! I have a TB, a RN RXT, and an Argos! The Cowmoo FR85 is back in its box, in the garage. If I thought it would have worked for a 3 across (I don't think it will, but I haven't tried it) I would have used it. In a spare bedroom I have a MR and a TFP. I have tried many different seats, but the fact that I love their ease of installation, that they work for all of the kids I have, and their cute, comfy covers is what keeps me loving them.
 

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